Halfway there
 

I picked up four T206s this week, all with HOF subjects and my first EPDG back. These four cards put me at 260 - squarely in the middle of what I hope to achieve will be a 520 card set.

I started collecting the T206s last year, when I picked up a Walter Johnson (Hands at Chest) to complete my 3,000 strikeout club collection. Owning that very old piece of cardboard caused a sea change in what I wanted to focus on.

I went on a tear of buying, centered around buying about 200 PSA 3 cards, mostly commons, off of a guy on eBay. This was where the bulk of my acquisitions came from. By all VCP accounts, this was a good deal and gave me an instant collection.

In a lot of ways I regret how I've approached the Monster so far. I wish I had spent the money from the lot on Ty Cobbs, and other expensive cards instead. I don't own any of the Cobbs and the prices on the portraits as we all know have gone insane recently. I am now afraid I am priced out of getting nice low grade ones, especially the green. I also regret not looking at a few of the cards I bought on eBay more closely. In my newness and eagerness to acquire, I did not put a careful eye on cards that look to be trimmed in their slabs. I am somewhat certain that a couple of my moderately pricy HOF cards may have had a little haircut along the way.

So almost one year later I am much farther along than I expected to be at this point thanks to that lot. But I am recalibrating my approach - slowing down and going for the HOF and SL cards first, banking on the hope that most of the VG commons will stay relatively stable in price.

This has been such a joy to collect so far - connecting with the game's past, and America's past, really. I have loved following the the threads on here and am constantly referring back to the work that guys like Scot Reader and Ted Z have done. And I am really loving Luke's blog. It's an amazing quilt of research and detective work, and my hats off to all of you.

I am a small time, JV player in the Monster game but the thrills are immeasurable whenever I acquire a new little piece of 108 year-old cardboard. Thanks to Net 54 for the inspiration and the knowledge.

Hi Ted, Yes, the 28 cards in Group B. Lajoie With Bat never showed up but all the others came up with between 2 and 8 cards each.

Incredible EPDG collection. I'm only at 97 different with Carl Lundgren Chicago SGC 60 as the highlight of my EPDG set. Still searching for a Dahlen Boston EPDG to complete my Elite 11. Keep up the great progress.
Ron

Hi Jeff

Great story and an awesome display of your EPDG cards.

Thanks for sharing them with us.


TED Z
.

4th set......SOVEREIGN only story
 

* * * * * * * * * * * * T206 Reflections, Theory's, Surveys, etc. * * * * * * * * * * * * *

http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...ereign12xx.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...vereign12x.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...eign460x14.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...raphicbldg.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...eetCap12xx.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...edHINDUx12.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...eign350x13.jpg



I will borrow the last lines from the 1974 movie "The Sting"......when Paul Newman asks Robert Redford (after they pulled off their elaborate "Sting" on Robert Shaw)..........
"Was that as good as it gets ?"
Redford replies..... "It's not enough" .....then smiles, and says ....."but it's damn close".

That scene reflects my feelings regarding my completion of the T206 PIEDMONT set. So, I was motivated to put together the SOVEREIGN set. This adventure was significant,
as it resulted in providing us a greater understanding of American Lithographic's printing of the T206 cards. Why did I choose the SOVEREIGN cards ?
I always favored the GREEN colored T206 backs (also I've collected AMERICAN BEAUTY sub-sets). So, I figured a SOVEREIGN set would be relatively easy to complete, since
Lundgren, Magie, Plank, Wagner, Joe Doyle Nat'l, the 48 subjects in the Southern League series, and Demmitt & O'Hara (St Louis) were NOT printed with SOVEREIGN backs.

Well, I was very mistaken. This was quite a challenge in itself. Specifically because I had to determine which T206 cards were not printed with SOVEREIGN backs (No-Prints).
However, I am very happy to say that my list of No-Prints have withstood the test of time. It took me approx. 11 months to complete this set of 402 different subjects. Refer
to this thread...... Mission Accomplished....SOVEREIGN only set

Besides the 55 subjects mentioned above, the following T206 subjects are SOVEREIGN no-prints......

Abstein
Adkins
Arrellanes
Barbeau
Barger
Becker
Bliss
Brashear
Bresnahan (bat)
Burchell
Charles
Clark
Clymer
Collins (Minn.)
Cross
Davidson
Delehanty (Louisville)
Demmitt (New York American)
Dessau
Dorner

Downey (fielding)
Elberfeld (portrait-Washington)
Engle
Evans
Fletcher
Freeman
Ganzel
Graham (St Louis AL)
Gray
Groom
Hayden
Hoffman (St Louis AL)
Hunter
Jones (portrait Detroit)
Kleinow (Boston)
La Porte
Lattimore
Lord
Lundgren (Kansas City)
Maddox

Maloney
Marshall
Mattern
McAleese
McBride
McElveen
McLean
Milan
Miller (Pittsburg)
Mullen (portrait)
Murray (bat)
Myers (bat)
Nattress
Phillippe
Puttman
Rhodes
Ritter
Rudolph
Schirm
Schlafly

Schreck
Shannon
Sharpe
Frank Smith (Chicago & Boston)
Snodgrass (bat)
Starr
Willett


This SOVEREIGN set has proven to be a very timely and significant project in that it revealed to us the following important insights
into American Lithographic's printing of the various series in their T206 production. Refer to Posts #2 & 4 here for the details.


TED Z
.

Incredible Sovereign story. I've known of your Sovereign set from past posts over the years but never knew it only took you 11 months and that's with trying to figure out what exactly existed. One word, impressive. I'm currently at 75% complete and it's looking like Cobb 460 will be my last one on the list too.

Thanks, Ron

I acquired 5 of the 6 super-prints with the rare SOVEREIGN 460 back pretty early in the game. It took me 2 more years to get the red Cobb with the SOVEREIGN 460 back.

Wish you good luck in finding one.



http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...CobbSGCx50.jpg . http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...obbSGCx50b.jpg


TED Z
.

KingFisk
 

Hi Carl

Thanks for posting your T206 story. I always advise collectors to acquire large lots of T206's when starting their sets. So, you were very smart to pick up the large lot of 200 cards.
So, don't have any regrets. These current "crazy" prices on Cobb's (and, other major T206 stars), in my opinion will not continue. Prices will eventually fall back to normal.

And, thanks for the kind words.


TED Z
.

5th set....SWEET CAPORAL, Factory #30 story
 

* * * * * * * * * * * * T206 Reflections, Theory's, Surveys, etc. * * * * * * * * * * * * *


. .http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...C150x30xxz.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...eetCap11xx.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...raphicbldg.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...lCYoung12x.jpg
........... Two Pennsylvania guys ........


In 2006, when I broke up my 2nd set to start up the PIEDMONT set, I also began setting aside the SWEET CAPORAL, Factory #30 cards from the 2nd set. These SWEET CAP
cards were a low priority then in my collection. Anyhow, I chose the SWEET CAP, Factory #30 cards because I was certain 469 different subjects would complete this set. At
that point I had approx. 150 different SWEET CAP/30 cards. This 469 number was easily determined by this equation......
524 - [Joe Doyle Nat'L, Kleinow (Boston), Lundgren (Cubs), Magie, Smith (Chi & Bos), Demmitt & O'Hara (St Louis vars.), Southern Leaguers (48)] = 469

Furthermore, lengthy research figuring out those tricky No-Prints (as I had to deal with in the SOVEREIGN set) was NOT necessary with this SWEET CAP/30 set. By Oct 2008,
I had 467 different SWEET CAP/30 cards (only missing Plank and Wagner). Check-out thread.... MISSION (99.5%) ACCOMPLISHED....all-Sweet Cap T206 set

I have no illusions of ever getting the Wagner card. But, I had hopes of eventually acquiring the Plank card. Eddie Plank is one of my all-time favorite pitchers in baseball.
My patience paid off last year, when an opportunity arose to acquire a T206 collection (81 cards), which included a SWEET CAPORAL 150, Factory #30 Plank. I worked an
interesting deal with my friend on this collection. Now, as far as I am concerned, this SWEET CAP set is "complete" with 468 cards.
For more info check-out this thread.... SWEET CAPORAL, Factory #30 set....includes Plank


Hey guys
How's about some show-n-tell regarding your T206 collections.....we've had some very interesting stories so far.....so, tell us all about your T206 experiences.


TED Z
.

When I started collecting T206's I never had intentions of completing the
set and I still don't. As a matter of fact I recently sold over 100 from
my collection. I still have well over 500 T206's but nowhere near a complete
set.

I do have a fascination with print oddities/flaws though. When Steve B
started the PD150 plate scratch thread and explained how someday
they might be able to establish some sheet or partial sheet layouts I was
hooked.

I currently have 243 different PD150 plate scratches, 307 total with
the duplicates.
Attachment 273025
Attachment 273026

I also like to collect front print oddities like this Willett.
Attachment 273027

Tenney with a broken Y in the NY on his shirt.
Attachment 273031

Back oddities like the Fact 30's on the bottom.
Attachment 273028

or a reoccurring flaws like the one found on the back of certain Brain, Ganzel and Dygert.
Attachment 273029
Attachment 273030